Kevin Haime Junior initiative teaches kids about more than golf

Alexander Brisebois, 17, has been part of Kevin Haime's Kids to the Course initiative, which provides local kids with memberships at golf courses across Ottawa. Alexander's older brother, Nick, was also in the program and now studies in the U.S. on a scholarship.Julie Oliver / Postmedia

When Kevin and Lisa Haime got the Kevin Haime Junior Golf Initiative going 12 years ago, the thought was creating memberships would help develop good young golfers.

True, that’s happened. But it’s about much more than that, there are a lot more benefits than just skill whacking a golf ball — with going on 700 memberships handed out since the initiative began.

“We’ve developed hundreds of good young people who understand what giving back is and they understand the lessons that golf teaches you,” said Kevin on Monday, a day before the fund-raising Kevin Haime Kids to the Course Classic tournament Tuesday at Eagle Creek. It’s the golf tournament, with huge backing from PING and several other sponsors, that gives life to the idea of providing memberships to junior golfers between the ages of nine and 17 (as of Jan. 1). The Kevin Haime Junior Golf Initiative helps kids who have already embraced the game of golf to pursue their passion. Through an application process, juniors are given access to memberships at area clubs or receive other funding to help pursue their golf dreams.

“It’s been an amazing experience,” said Kevin. “Golf has been very good to Lisa and I — our whole lives and our social culture and everything, really, is around golf. I owe most of who I am to golf. We decided to give back and pass along some of the things that golf gives back to kids — respect, integrity, following rules and whatnot. It’s been an amazing experience. I can’t think of a better way to give back than by growing the game of golf and giving kids with enthusiasm for the game the same opportunity to pursue their passion that I had.”

Alexander Brisebois, 17, has been part of Kevin Haime’s Kids to the Course initiative, which provides local kids with memberships at golf courses across Ottawa. Alexander’s older brother, Nick, was also in the program and now studies in the U.S. on a scholarship.Julie Oliver /
Postmedia

As it turns out, two of the program’s success stories have been brothers — first Nick, then Alex Brisebois — both out of Holy Trinity Catholic High School. Nick is now at Columbia University in the U.S (where he was named a 2019 NCAA Academic All-American), while his 17-year-old brother Alex is hoping to go the U.S. college route as well after taking a “gap year.”

“It’s been helpful to see (Nick) succeed, it’s given me a role model to look up to,” said Alex, who began golfing more regularly through the initiative when he was 10. “It drives me to work hard to try and match him, maybe beat him.

“The program isn’t just about golf, it teaches you life lessons — being around a golf course and meeting new people, it helps you to become a better person, You learn important life lessons and all about integrity. Playing golf helps with a lot of social skills and confidence. It carries over into other areas of life.”

At age 10, Alex began with a handicap of 28 and had whittled that down to 22.8 by the end of the season. He heads into this golf season with a handicap of 0.7 and hopes to sharpen his game with 100 rounds of golf.

With dad John and mom Karen, it’s become a golf family — living in the Bridlewood area of Kanata.

“It’s a huge part of our life,” said Karen. “It’s been great for our family, it’s something we can do together. I think we were really lucky to be part of this.”

“They’re tremendous kids, with super parents,” said Kevin. “It’s a great lesson in a family unit — with a mom and dad very involved, spending time with their kids, promoting a healthy lifestyle. They’re all very genuine. They’re some of my favourite people, I’ve had a lot of great ones over the years in the initiative. It’s going to be a little strange once Alex graduates out of our program. There hasn’t been a year we haven’t had a Brisebois in it.”

Tuesday’s Kevin Haime Kids to the Course Classic will once again have LPGA star Brooke Henderson (who’s from Smiths Falls) on hand.

Said Kevin: “Brooke does a few appearances for PING every year, for the past four years this event has been one of those so that tells you there’s something special going on and PING feels that way as well. This event doesn’t have the feel of a typical charity outing. It has the feel more of a friendship gathering and sort of a support network.”